rifle detonation again

[Lumpy Grits]

NC-lets wait till we learn more.
I have use 5744. I stop'd because of all the unburn'd powder left in the bore.
Gary

[Don McDowell]

I have my doubts it was the 5744, unless that rifle had been fed a steady diet of +P loads. There's no shortage of folks on the net that brag about how fast they can make a bullet go from a 45-70 using smokeless.

[Martini2]

While it is again extremely unfortunate to have a dangerous rifle incident at a big match (or any time any where) I'd wait until the officials have a chance to do forensics. The people running the Q are especially caring and will at proper time make informed report.

[Nuclearcricket]

Well everyone has made good points, and yes I do agree that jumping to conclusions isn't a good thing. I have seen some posts on other sites and it does bring up some questions. Everything I have read says that the barrel split both top and bottom. I have not seen any mention of the action letting go. This makes me wonder if perhaps the barrel was bad or perhaps had a flaw in it from the get go. Having worked many years as a toolmaker making parts for use in injection molding presses as well as progressive stamping dies I have seen tool steel with bad spots in it and inclusions in the steel. This has been in air hardening tool steels and I am not positive how they are made but I would guess that they are hot rolled or hot formed at some point.
I do know a fellow that has on porpus blown up a 74 sharps. He built the rifle and had done a Gove conversion on it so that the block will cam a cartridge into the chamber. He would not tell me what kind of load he used to cause the failure but I do know he was unhurt. It was a 45-70 and it would be my guess that it was a load I wouldn't want to put in my Mauser, or at a minimum not a load I would be willing to pull the trigger on.
I do hope, and I think we all do, that the person that was injured sustains little to no permanent damage to his hand and that he has a speedy recovery.
Sam

[Kurt]

The word is that the rifle had a rung chamber from previous shots fired. He had the load with a wad on the powder holding it down.
Below is the results. The action held but the barrel didn't. It blew out the and long cracks on the top.


Kurt

[Don McDowell]

So much for the wads being ok with 5744..

[Rick Mulhern]

Reloading and airplanes have a lot in common! Both have an envelope of safety! Avoid the envelope...and they'll kill your azz!!

[Old Jim]

Can the receiver be opened? What does the cartridge case look like? Any primer ?

[Lumpy Grits]

Thank you Kurt for the pictures.
Any update on the shooter?
How has the weather been? Ground looks pretty dry.
Gary

[Don McDowell]

Can the receiver be opened? What does the cartridge case look like? Any primer ?

Jim look at that top picture, you can see the case still in the chamber, looks like it's been cut to flower petals.